Five Ravens with something to prove Saturday in Dallas

Rachel Woolf, Baltimore Sun

It's generally understood that the Ravens' season is over if the team loses starting quarterback Joe Flacco to injury, but for Taylor's sake, these games are terribly important. The Ravens' backup quarterback is in the last year of his contract, and the preseason could be his only chance to get game film for the rest of the league. He had an uneven training camp, seemingly battling his instincts to run the ball at the first sign of trouble, but will get plenty of playing time Saturday to show not only the Ravens, but the other 31 NFL teams, that he can be a capable backup or starter.

It's generally understood that the Ravens' season is over if the team loses starting quarterback Joe Flacco to injury, but for Taylor's sake, these games are terribly important. The Ravens' backup quarterback is in the last year of his contract, and the preseason could be his only chance to get game film for the rest of the league. He had an uneven training camp, seemingly battling his instincts to run the ball at the first sign of trouble, but will get plenty of playing time Saturday to show not only the Ravens, but the other 31 NFL teams, that he can be a capable backup or starter. (Rachel Woolf, Baltimore Sun)

It dawned on me a few days ago that Smith, the dynamic fourth-year wide receiver, had a quiet training camp. Another reporter mentioned the same thing yesterday. Other than the occasional deep ball from Joe Flacco, Smith wasn't much of a playmaker in camp. Granted, there's only one ball for a lot of receivers -- and new veteran Steve Smith has commanded many of those as Joe Flacco gets on the same page with him -- but a big performance from Torrey Smith would certainly assuage some concerns for me.

It dawned on me a few days ago that Smith, the dynamic fourth-year wide receiver, had a quiet training camp. Another reporter mentioned the same thing yesterday. Other than the occasional deep ball from Joe Flacco, Smith wasn't much of a playmaker in camp. Granted, there's only one ball for a lot of receivers -- and new veteran Steve Smith has commanded many of those as Joe Flacco gets on the same page with him -- but a big performance from Torrey Smith would certainly assuage some concerns for me. (Doug Kapustin, Baltimore Sun)

The Ravens' final 53-man roster is starting to take shape, but there's still a lot to be gleaned from preseason games, including Saturday's against the Dallas Cowboys. It's an opportunity for players firmly on the roster to step up their games after slow starts to camp, and for those who are playing themselves onto the roster bubble to play themselves back into the mix to make the team. This week's Five for Friday features five Ravens with something to prove Saturday against the Cowboys.